09
Dec
2003
• The federal 2004 Omnibus Appropriations bill contains $400,000 for Davenport's River Music Experience (RME). The museum, a center that combines interactive and interpretive exhibits that explore and celebrate the journey of American roots music through the Mississippi River basin and the world, is expected to open in June 2004. This funding will help establish the Musical Lives exhibit in RME. Musical Lives is an exhibit that will allow the visitor to interact with the people and musicians from various time periods to explore the music of that era. The RME will also house a permanent exhibit featuring six wall-sized screens that will provide the foundation for the museum. Documentary films, artifacts, archives, and other materials will also help tell the story of river music. An interactive database will feature hundreds of musicians and songwriters who have influenced or been influenced by the river and its music, and it will explore the movement of the music throughout the United States. Other changing exhibits will focus on individual musicians, styles, movements, and key events. You can find out more about the RME at (http://www.downtowndavenport.com/river-renaissance/river-music-center.html).
• This December marks the 65th annual Jaycee Santa project. This long-standing project has helped to make Christmas merrier for Quad Cities children since the late 1930s by serving more than 60,000 youth. In coordination with the Salvation Army, the Davenport Jaycees have begun planning this year's Jaycees Santa program. More than 2,000 new toys have been purchased for children up to age 12. In addition, the Jaycees have also purchased new Christmas trees for special families in the area. Funding for this project comes from donations made by area businesses, and proceeds donated from the annual Jaycee Bridal Expo. More funding is needed to bring more cheer to Quad Cities children every year. Donations can be mailed to: Jaycee Santa Program; P.O. Box 3505; Davenport IA 52808. If you have any questions, contact Davenport Jaycees project co-chair Tracy Schuster, Elisa Washburn, or Marla Matlock at (563)322-4292 or on the Web at (http://www.davenportjaycee.com).
• DRCNet reports that in a pair of decisions handed down November 20, the Illinois Supreme Court has held that police conducting traffic stops may not undertake criminal investigations of drivers or passengers without a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. Roy Caballes was stopped for driving 71 miles per hour in a 65-miles-per-hour zone on Interstate 80, and while one trooper wrote him a speeding ticket, another trooper arrived with a drug-sniffing dog and walked around Caballes' vehicle. When the dog indicated it smelled something, troopers searched the vehicle, found marijuana in the trunk, and arrested Caballes. The other decision dealt with the case of Raymond Harris, a passenger in a car stopped for an illegal left turn. When the sheriff's deputy involved discovered the vehicle's driver had no valid driver's license, he asked Harris to produce his. Harris did so, and the deputy then checked his identity for outstanding warrants. Harris had one, was arrested on the old warrant, and upon being searched was found to be in possession of crack cocaine. He was convicted but appealed, arguing that police had no probable cause to run a warrant check on him. To read the decision in People vs. Caballes, visit (http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2003/November/Opinions/Html/91547.htm). To read the decision in People vs. Harris, visit (http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2003/November/Opinions/Html/92783.htm). For more information on DRCNet, visit (http://stopthedrugwar.org/index.shtml).
• The Iowa Department of Transportation has partnered with various organizations, including Iowa SAFEKIDS Coalition, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the League of Iowa Bicyclists, to create a bicycle-safety campaign to educate school-age kids. Funding for the program has come from three different sources: the Federal Recreational Trails Fund, the Iowa Safety Management System, and the League of Iowa Bicyclists. The two main goals are to increase helmet usage and increase bicycle knowledge. Blank Children's Hospital provides the "All Heads Covered Van" that is available for groups or individuals to reserve. This van has all the equipment necessary to put on a bicycle rodeo, including bicycles, orange cones, chalk, and measuring tape. Also available are bicycle-safety resource materials, including posters, reflective spoke sliders, magnets, and handouts illustrating the rules for bicyclists to follow. For information about this program, you can visit the Web site (http://www.dot.state.ia.us/bikeinfo.htm). You can also contact Safe Kids Quad Cities Coordinator Keene Hart; c/o Illini Hospital; 801 Hospital Rd.; Silvis IL 61282; by phone at (309)792-4890; or via e-mail at (HartK@genesishealth.com).
• The ACLU has denounced a classified FBI intelligence memorandum, obtained by the New York Times, that gives police detailed instructions on how to target and monitor lawful political demonstrations under the rubric of fighting terrorism. According to a front-page story in the New York Times, the memorandum was circulated to local law-enforcement agencies around the country in advance of mass marches and rallies in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco against the U.S. occupation in Iraq. Citing no evidence of suspected unlawful activity by the protesters, the memorandum claims that law-enforcement officials, including the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, should track these lawful protest tactics. For more information on the ACLU's response to the memorandum, look at (http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=14450&c=206&MX=1055&H=1).
• The Scott County Regional Authority has announced more than $2.2 million in grants will benefit 96 organizations in 14 communities. The grants were announced on December 2, bringing the total grants awarded since 1991 to more than $30 million. Applications for the spring 2004 grant cycle will be available on March 1 and will be due April 1. For more information, point your Web browser to (http://www.scottcountyregionalauthority.com).
• The Fejervary Children's Zoo is hosting "Holiday Lights," with animation and more than 20,000 lights in a display crated by Lyle Haakenson. The lights will be on every night from 5 to 10 p.m. through Friday, January 2. Monetary donations will be accepted. Fejervary Park is located on 12th Street in Davenport, west of Division Street.
• This December marks the 65th annual Jaycee Santa project. This long-standing project has helped to make Christmas merrier for Quad Cities children since the late 1930s by serving more than 60,000 youth. In coordination with the Salvation Army, the Davenport Jaycees have begun planning this year's Jaycees Santa program. More than 2,000 new toys have been purchased for children up to age 12. In addition, the Jaycees have also purchased new Christmas trees for special families in the area. Funding for this project comes from donations made by area businesses, and proceeds donated from the annual Jaycee Bridal Expo. More funding is needed to bring more cheer to Quad Cities children every year. Donations can be mailed to: Jaycee Santa Program; P.O. Box 3505; Davenport IA 52808. If you have any questions, contact Davenport Jaycees project co-chair Tracy Schuster, Elisa Washburn, or Marla Matlock at (563)322-4292 or on the Web at (http://www.davenportjaycee.com).
• DRCNet reports that in a pair of decisions handed down November 20, the Illinois Supreme Court has held that police conducting traffic stops may not undertake criminal investigations of drivers or passengers without a reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed. Roy Caballes was stopped for driving 71 miles per hour in a 65-miles-per-hour zone on Interstate 80, and while one trooper wrote him a speeding ticket, another trooper arrived with a drug-sniffing dog and walked around Caballes' vehicle. When the dog indicated it smelled something, troopers searched the vehicle, found marijuana in the trunk, and arrested Caballes. The other decision dealt with the case of Raymond Harris, a passenger in a car stopped for an illegal left turn. When the sheriff's deputy involved discovered the vehicle's driver had no valid driver's license, he asked Harris to produce his. Harris did so, and the deputy then checked his identity for outstanding warrants. Harris had one, was arrested on the old warrant, and upon being searched was found to be in possession of crack cocaine. He was convicted but appealed, arguing that police had no probable cause to run a warrant check on him. To read the decision in People vs. Caballes, visit (http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2003/November/Opinions/Html/91547.htm). To read the decision in People vs. Harris, visit (http://www.state.il.us/court/Opinions/SupremeCourt/2003/November/Opinions/Html/92783.htm). For more information on DRCNet, visit (http://stopthedrugwar.org/index.shtml).
• The Iowa Department of Transportation has partnered with various organizations, including Iowa SAFEKIDS Coalition, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the League of Iowa Bicyclists, to create a bicycle-safety campaign to educate school-age kids. Funding for the program has come from three different sources: the Federal Recreational Trails Fund, the Iowa Safety Management System, and the League of Iowa Bicyclists. The two main goals are to increase helmet usage and increase bicycle knowledge. Blank Children's Hospital provides the "All Heads Covered Van" that is available for groups or individuals to reserve. This van has all the equipment necessary to put on a bicycle rodeo, including bicycles, orange cones, chalk, and measuring tape. Also available are bicycle-safety resource materials, including posters, reflective spoke sliders, magnets, and handouts illustrating the rules for bicyclists to follow. For information about this program, you can visit the Web site (http://www.dot.state.ia.us/bikeinfo.htm). You can also contact Safe Kids Quad Cities Coordinator Keene Hart; c/o Illini Hospital; 801 Hospital Rd.; Silvis IL 61282; by phone at (309)792-4890; or via e-mail at (HartK@genesishealth.com).
• The ACLU has denounced a classified FBI intelligence memorandum, obtained by the New York Times, that gives police detailed instructions on how to target and monitor lawful political demonstrations under the rubric of fighting terrorism. According to a front-page story in the New York Times, the memorandum was circulated to local law-enforcement agencies around the country in advance of mass marches and rallies in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco against the U.S. occupation in Iraq. Citing no evidence of suspected unlawful activity by the protesters, the memorandum claims that law-enforcement officials, including the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, should track these lawful protest tactics. For more information on the ACLU's response to the memorandum, look at (http://www.aclu.org/SafeandFree/SafeandFree.cfm?ID=14450&c=206&MX=1055&H=1).
• The Scott County Regional Authority has announced more than $2.2 million in grants will benefit 96 organizations in 14 communities. The grants were announced on December 2, bringing the total grants awarded since 1991 to more than $30 million. Applications for the spring 2004 grant cycle will be available on March 1 and will be due April 1. For more information, point your Web browser to (http://www.scottcountyregionalauthority.com).
• The Fejervary Children's Zoo is hosting "Holiday Lights," with animation and more than 20,000 lights in a display crated by Lyle Haakenson. The lights will be on every night from 5 to 10 p.m. through Friday, January 2. Monetary donations will be accepted. Fejervary Park is located on 12th Street in Davenport, west of Division Street.
